Kinkaku-ji | Kyoto, Japan

Never in my life have I ever seen anything like Kinkaku-ji. After living in Korea for two years, I've seen so many different kinds of Asian temples, but nothing like this! The name translates to Temple of the Golden Pavilion and was originally a villa built in 1397 by a powerful statesman. In 1950, the villa burnt down when a monk attempted suicide. Afterward the pavilion was rebuilt in 1955. It's a close replica to the original villa and was covered with pure gold-leaf.

I loved Kinkaku-ji and the surrounding gardens were absolutely beautiful. It does get a bit busy with tourists but it's definitely a must-see when you're in Kyoto!

Fushimi Inari Taisha | Kyoto, Japan | 2 of 2

While Markus and I were hiking through Fushimi Inari Taisha, I distinctly remember feeling extremely calm and peaceful. Despite spending three hours hiking up a mountain on a hot August day, I had an amazing experience. I was spending the day at a beautiful shrine with my husband in Japan. How many times would I experience something like that again? We had a great time and spent most of the time discussing our pet project, The Lost Land of Yehey. Everything we saw inspired us and came up with some great ideas for our story.  I think that's my favorite part of traveling with Markus. Even though we're on vacation, we still continue to create new worlds and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Fushimi Inari Taisha | Kyoto, Japan | 1 of 2

One of the most iconic places in Japan is Fushimi Inari Taisha. If you've seen Memoirs of a Geisha, you'll remember when the young geisha runs through the bright orange tunnel. Ever since I saw that scene, I've wanted to walk through the orange gates. The shrine is for Inari, the god of foxes, rice, sake and a few other things. The shrine is comprised of thousands of torii or gates that have been donated by Japanese businesses. Fushimi is at the base of a mountain and you can follow the torii up the mountain through various trails.

Markus and I visited Fushimi on a sunny August day. It was the height of school holidays, so the place was packed full of visitors. The beginning portion of the shrine was so full of people, that it was impossible to get a photo without someone in them. In an attempt to see as much as possible, we decided to follow the trail until we were exhausted. I really enjoyed walking throughout the shrine. There was so much to see and experience. There are heaps of fox statues and my foxy shirt was a perfect homage to them. Fushimi Inari was unlike anything I've ever seen. Everything about it was beautiful and its probably one of my favorite places in Japan.

Kiyomizu-dera | Kyoto, Japan

When Markus and I were in Kyoto, we planned on visiting all the "must-see" temples. In an ideal world, we would have all the time, energy and money to do everything we wanted, but reality isn't really like that. On this particular day, I had way too much planned. We were in the Gion district and earlier that day we dressed as a geisha and samurai. Afterward, we walked all over the area looking at other temples. By the time we finally made it to Kiyomizu-dera, I was exhausted. We also found out that they were under construction and the line was way too long. In the end, we decided to pass on going inside. Instead, Markus took heaps of photos of the outside. Now looking back on it, I don't regret it at all. It was the height of summer and the best time to go to Kiyomizu-dera is during fall or spring. Maybe when Markus and I go back to Japan, we'll go during one of those seasons and finally see what all the hype is about!

Angkor Thom, Cambodia | 3 of 3

Even though I wasn't keen on Angkor Thom, I really loved the photos we took. While were exploring some of the more secluded areas, there was an old Cambodian gentleman that started to lead us around the complex. He kept showing us the best places to take photos. I think we wouldn't have such great photos if it wasn't for him! I will always remember his kindness!